Bearcats’ Visit to USF Ends in 33-3 Defeat

There was no surprise tonight, as the Cincinnati Bearcats were dominated in a 33-3 loss to No. 18 USF at Raymond James Stadium.

The Bulls, who entered the game 5-0, did not fall victim to the upset epidemic that tore through college football this weekend, recording yet another easy win over the Bearcats (2-5, 0-3, American Athletic Confernce). This year’s win followed final scores of 65-27 and 45-20 in the previous two seasons, respectively.

Like those other games, the USF run game dictated the tempo and outcome. The Bulls ran for 212 yards on 53 carries and finished with 402 total yards. While the UC defense had trouble, allowing a number of lengthy drives, it at least forced field goals on a healthy portion of possessions. Unfortunately, all those three point moral victories eventually add up, and when you throw in two rushing touchdowns and an interception returned for a score, it adds up to a lot.

UC’s offense did not do all that much to keep things close. The Bearcats finished with 273 yards of total offense, averaging just 3.9 yards per play. The run game was particularly thwarted, with only 95 yards on 33 attempts, which equates to less than three yards per run. Michael Warren and Gerrid Doaks each broke off some solid runs, however, with the two combining for 84 yards on 12 carries.

As far as passing goes, things weren’t much better. Hayden Moore completed 16-of-28 pass attempts for 147 yards and his interception at the end of the first half was brought back by Auggie Sanchez and put UC into a 23-3 hole at the break. Ross Trail played his first minutes of the season in relief and threw for 31 yards on 5-of-9 passing while bringing a little mobility to the proceedings.

UC has now lost four-straight games and been outscored 164-79 combined in those contests. We’ll have more to come tomorrow, but for now, just be glad basketball season is almost here.